The family of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer killed on the set of Rust, have filed a lawsuit against Alec Baldwin and others involved with the film.
The lawsuit filed on behalf of Hutchins’ parents, Anatolii Androsovych and Olga Solovey, and sister, Svetlana Zemko, accuses Baldwin and others, including the film’s armorer, of battery, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and loss of consortium.
Baldwin, who faces criminal charges for his role in the 2021 death along with the film armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, has previously settled a lawsuit with Hutchins’ husband and son. This lawsuit is separate and aims to provide accountability and justice to her parents and sister, who depended on the cinematographer for emotional and financial support, said the attorney Gloria Allred.
“It’s clear to us that the relationships of all of our clients have been damaged and that they will not be able to enjoy life in the same way as they did when their precious Halyna was alive,” said Allred, who is representing the family, at a press conference on Thursday.
Hutchins, 42, died on 21 October 2021 shortly after being wounded during rehearsals for the western on a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Baldwin, who was also a producer on the film, had been pointing a gun at Hutchins during a scene when it went off, hitting her and wounding the director. The bullet that hit both Hutchins and the director was a live round. The killing sparked outrage and calls for greater safety on film sets.
Hutchins’ parents and sister have been devastated by the loss, Allred said, all while they have been enduring the war in Ukraine. Hutchins’ mother is an emergency operating room nurse in a hospital in Ukraine, she said.
“Halyna was the light in their lives,” she said. “Of course for all of our three clients the tragic loss of their daughter and sister is heartbreaking but now in addition to this tragedy they have to try to cope with that loss while living in Ukraine in the mist of Putin’s war.”
The family, who did not attend the press conference, appeared in a video shared by Allred. In the video translated into English, Svetlana Zemko said her sister’s death was “one of the biggest losses of my life”.
“Even more devastating is to see the utter suffering of our parents and how their health has sharply declined,” Zemko said. “It is for this reason that I would like those who are at fault … to carry that responsibility, and not just someone, but that very someone who is truly responsible for this. I believe to let this go and to leave this unpunished is unallowable.”
The family has not received an apology from Baldwin, Allred said, or any outreach at all. “We want accountability and justice for them. It’s as simple as that,” Allred said.
The lawsuit comes after Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed, who supervised weapons for the film, were criminally charged with involuntary manslaughter over the shooting. Authorities allege there was a pattern of criminal disregard for safety on the film set. Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed, who both maintain their innocence, have vowed to fight the charges.
